Count flower pots on a nursery bench from a photo

Counting flower pots on benches, trolleys and in stacks

Flower pots are counted by nurseries and garden centers on benches by size and variety, against garden center dispatch orders, and as empty pots before a potting run. Potted plants on a bench count well from above when the pots have some space between them, because each rim is a clear circle; once foliage spills over the rims, the plants hide the pots.

For bench stock, shoot from a stepladder or straight over the bench, one section at a time, and mark one complete pot rim as the example in Similar items. On shelved trolleys, photograph each shelf from the side so every pot in the front row is visible. Empty pots nested in a stack show only the top rim from above; photograph the stack from the side instead, where each rim forms a ridge, much like a stack of plates. Square and round pots on one bench need separate examples.

Bench, pot size and variety give each reviewed tally row a clear label. Plants growing in open beds are covered by the plant counter, and plug trays by the seedling counter.

Pot count checks

• Bench sections photographed from above
• Trolley shelves photographed from the side
• Empty nested stacks shot side-on
• One pot size per tally row